Indianapolis—
There is a lot of excitement surrounding the upcoming Super Bowl in Indianapolis. People from all over the United States will flock to the city to be a part o the action, but at least hundreds more will make the trip to profit as unlicensed escorts or prostitutes.Men and women advertise sexual services all over the Internet already, some disguise themselves as massage therapists, while others do not.
Regardless, city officials say more of them will target Indianapolis during big events like the Super Bowl.
"We want the message to be, ‘don't come to Indianapolis because you are going to be arrested, and you're going to be ticketed and you're going to be fined,’" said Helen Marchal, Indianapolis city prosecutor.
Marchal said Dallas took steps to combat possible prostitution before the last Super Bowl, and Indianapolis is doing the same.
This past weekend, The Department of Code Enforcement and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department teamed up on a sweep. They arrested a handful of people for prostitution and ticketed for being unlicensed escorts.
"We don't know how many people we're going to be dealing with come Super Bowl,” said Marchal. “It could be hundreds, it could be more than that and with the limited resources we have, we have to be creative in how we attack the problem.”
It is a problem, because offering a service as an escort can be legal. In fact, those interested in becoming licensed can go onto the City of Indianapolis web site, fill out an application and pay the fee.
The escorts pay $103. Escort agencies pay $319.
This year, there are no licensed escort businesses. Last year, there was one business that took the proper steps.
"They are required under ordinance to obtain a license from our department," said Kate Johnson, Indianapolis Department of Code Enforcement spokesperson.
"In most instances, if it's a first offense, for us, with a civil violation, it's a $500 fine. The maximum is $2500," said Johnson.
Marchal said they are moving towards a multi-pronged approach to combat the illegal activity, and they want to get the message out that come February they will be prepared.
It is unclear if and when there will be additional sweeps.
"They are really the types of businesses that could cause problems, and we want to make sure that the residents here and the community is protected," said Johnson.
A Super Bowl Committee spokesperson said that public safety is an important part of the Super Bowl planning process, and as with any other mayor event, they will rely on their partnerships with authorities and city officials.
